Ed Space
Little Flynn sat quietly the whole game.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The eight-year-old hardly said a word but his eyes never left the players or the ball from warm-ups to game's end.
Flynn loves his Illawarra Hawks and his dad Matt fosters his son's passion for the region's National Basketball League team.
It didn't take much convincing for Flynn to talk his dad into buying him another fresh new Tyler Harvey jersey which almost sparkled it was that new and crisp.
Sitting two rows from courtside during the Hawks versus Kings recently, Flynn's eyes were as wide as saucers as they fed his brain the images that would illustrate his dreams later in that evening when sleep eventually defeated him.
Sitting on one side of Flynn is Rodney and his mate.
Older blokes, they are diehard "Hawkheads" who live and breath the team and are proudly wearing the Illawarra Hawks' indigenous jersey, the one with the Flame Tree blazoned on the front.
They arrive, almost like clockwork, minutes before tip-off.
They devour and analyse the stats as the game goes on and disappear almost as soon as the final siren goes.
On the other side of Flynn are a couple of lovely ladies, Jill and Patricia, both who have an incredibly long and rich history with the club.
Jill has been a scorebench operator for the club. Patricia's late husband Tom Penrose was one of the icons of the club and NSW basketball.
They cheer, stomp and scream with the best of the Hawkheads in the stands.
You see, a sporting club isn't about the coach, the players, the owners, the staff.
They're part of it, for sure, but they change. The fans are the constant.
The fabric of a sporting club is the people who pay their hard earned each week to support the institution they love, no matter whether they win or lose.
The kids like Flynn, who grow to be adults like Rod.
They turn up, year in, year out.
When the Illawarra Hawks take to the court tonight for their semi final against the Perth Wildcats, these are the people that will help fill out the stands.
They will scream at the refs, the opposition players and tell the Wildcats coach to "sit down and shut up".
They will fill the stadium with the sound of the club's now famous "ILL-A-WAR-RA" chant.
They call them Hawkheads.
These people are the fabric of the NBL's last remaining foundation club.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Julian O'Brien
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
